Sunday, August 27, 2006

Q)So, can you tell me a little about yourself? Full name, age, some backround info, etc?

A)Brian Donnelly, 27. I was born in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 1979. In 1999 I attended the Ontario College of Art and Design in Toronto, graduated in 2003 and remain here in Toronto to live and work.

Q)How did you get started making art?

A)I received a lot of encouragement for my abilities from many sources within my family and thoughout grade school, which led me to believe I should hone my skills and make a career of it. I don't remember how exactly I got started, but nobody ever tried to stop me.

Q)How would you describe your art?

A)I would probably first mention size and medium, after that I would logically describe the subject matter, and then depending on the audience to which I am describing, I would mention something of the narratives involved in the piece, the messages they convey, and maybe a small bit about my motivations for creating the work.

Q)Where do you get the inspiration for your art?

A)Making art is a lot like commiting a crime. I'd say that it's more motive than inspiration. Then we defend ourselves by having exhibitions and writing about what we do, in order to appear not innocent of wasting our lives. Of course if you really need an answer I'll say, "Sex, Violence, and National Geographic".

Q)What are you working on now?

A)A half-man, half-bear and some butterflies.

Q)Are there some web sites that you would like to recomend? Artists, art communities, xxx,...!?

A)

www.catsthatlooklikehitler.com. It's a pretty self-explanitoryURL, and it's a pretty funny site. I've come to reallyappreciate websites that are purely pointless, proving that theinternet is a forum for any ridiculous subject that any idiot witha computer can think of.

www.saidanddone.ca. Is a great project that a couple of guysout in Alberta, Canada cooked up. It's a good "small world"idea that I was pleased to contibute to.

Q)What programs / materials / tools do you use to create your pieces?

A)I often pass my images through Adobe Photoshop for a trial runat the composition, before committing them to oil and canvas.

Q)What advice would you give to younger up and coming artist?

A)Learn, keep learning, modify, and advance.

Q)What is your personal definition of life and art and everything else in between?

A)If you take it too seriously, you'll never have any fun.

Q)Do you think that art is a univeral language - transcending all the different languages, cultures and religions etc?

A)I think that historically there have been many attempts at beingtranscendant, some more successful than others. Dada wassuccessfull because it levelled the playing field. Realism and Popwere both successful because they appealed to everyone'knowledge, not just the select, educated few. But for the most partI would have to say no. If it were universal, then there wouldn't beany questions, and nobody would ever have to write a book aboutart.

Q)What are your artistic influences?

A)At the moment the works of German painters like Norbert Biskyand Neo Rauch are pushing me to loosen up my style a bit.

Q)How are the reactions on your work in general?

A)I will say positive. I think people have a natural attachment torepresentational paintings, regardless of how much one pervertsand distorts the basis in reality.

Q)Do you have many connections in the underground scene?

A)I ride the subway here in Toronto quite often.

Q)Tell us about a recent dream you had.

A)I haven't been able to remember much of my dreams lately,only fragments of them. I suppose the most recent thatcomes to mind involved me having sex with an attractive, dark-haired woman whose legs were brutally burned anscarred, while her husband stood there watching.

Q)What is freedom to you as an artist?

A)Not having to supplement my income.

Q)Are there any particular works you've done that stand out as your favorites?

A) There was a painting I did in high school of a Mapplethorpephotograph entitled 'Eva Amurri', juxtapsed in front of a detail ofone of Renoir's 'Circus Girls' paintings. I learned a lot aboutpaint application, and compostion while working on this piece,and the successful outcome as well as the reception itreceived from my instructor and peers encouraged me to keepgoing in this field.